Misha Mansoor's guitar strings: the Periphery djent rig, sourced
The strings, pickups, and amps Misha Mansoor uses with Periphery on his Jackson Juggernaut signatures. Every spec cited to Jackson, Horizon Devices, and Premier Guitar.
Periphery · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Misha Mansoor strings his Jackson Juggernaut signatures with his own brand, Horizon Devices Progressive Tension. His 6-string sets take Heavy 6 (.010–.058); the 7-string Juggernaut HT7 ships with Heavy 7 (about .010–.065) for Periphery's low Drop tunings. His USA guitars run Bare Knuckle Ragnarok pickups, and his live amp is the Peavey Invective, his Peavey signature head, fed by a Fractal Axe-Fx.
What's on the guitar
Misha Mansoor co-founded Periphery in 2005 and has been the band's primary songwriter ever since. His rig is built around the Jackson signature Juggernaut he designed, and almost every part of it is a product with his name on it:
- Guitars: Jackson Juggernaut signatures. The USA 7-string HT7 is 26.5-inch scale; the Pro 6-string HT6 is 25.5-inch scale.
- Strings: Horizon Devices Progressive Tension, his own brand. Heavy 6 (.010–.058) on the 6-strings, Heavy 7 (about .010–.065) on the 7-string.
- Tuning: low 7-string Drop tunings, around Drop G# and Drop A on current material.
- Pickups: Bare Knuckle Ragnarok (his signature) on the USA guitars; Jackson MM1 on the Pro models.
- Amps: Peavey Invective, his Peavey signature head, with a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL+.
His real strings are direct-sold, so they do not carry an Amazon link. The closest set you can buy off the shelf is Ernie Ball's 7-string Cobalt, in the same heavy-bottom, low-tuning gauge range:
7-String Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky Cobalt (.010–.062)
Why this one: Not Mansoor's actual brand (he plays Horizon Devices). It is the closest widely available 7-string set in the same heavy-bottom, low-tuning gauge range.
Endorsed vs. verified use
Mansoor is a documented signature artist several times over: Jackson (guitars), Bare Knuckle (pickups), Peavey (the Invective amp), and Fractal Audio. His strings are the clearest case of all, because he owns the brand. Jackson's own spec sheets list Horizon Devices Progressive Tension as the factory string on every Misha Mansoor Juggernaut, and Horizon Devices is his company. There is no guesswork here, the gear is on the record.
This page corrects two specs that older write-ups get wrong. The 7-string Juggernaut is a 26.5-inch scale, not 25.5. And the pickups are Bare Knuckle, not Fishman.
Electric guitars
Mansoor designed the Juggernaut from the body shape out. The line spans six, seven, and eight strings, plus EverTune-equipped variants. Sourced from Jackson's own product pages.
USA flagship · 7-string · 26.5" scale
Jackson USA Signature Juggernaut HT7
The top-tier 7-string. A 26.5-inch baritone-leaning scale, caramelized basswood body, graphite-reinforced caramelized maple neck, 20-inch radius board, and 24 jumbo stainless frets. The longer scale is what keeps the low string tight in Periphery's Drop tunings. Ships factory-strung with Horizon Devices Progressive Tension Heavy 7.
Source: Jackson: USA Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7.
Pro series · 6-string · 25.5" scale
Jackson Pro Plus Signature Juggernaut HT6
The accessible 6-string. A 25.5-inch scale, poplar body, caramelized maple neck, and a 20-inch radius ebony board with Luminlay side dots. It carries the Jackson MM1 pickups Mansoor co-designed and ships with Horizon Devices Progressive Tension Heavy 6.
Source: Jackson: Pro Plus Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6.
Pickups
Two pickup families, both with Mansoor's name on them. The Bare Knuckle sets are his personal choice; the Jackson MM1 ships in the more affordable Pro guitars.
Signature · USA guitars · ceramic
Bare Knuckle Ragnarok
His current signature humbucker and the stock pickup in the USA Juggernaut. A hot ceramic set built for a smooth top end with clarity, while staying tight and aggressive under high gain. Mansoor calls the Ragnaroks a sledgehammer next to the precision-tool Juggernauts.
Source: Jackson: USA Juggernaut HT7; Premier Guitar: Periphery Rig Rundown, 2023.
Pro guitars · co-designed with Jackson
Jackson MM1
The uncovered, direct-mount humbuckers Mansoor developed with Jackson for the Pro-series Juggernauts. They are the stock voice on the more affordable models; the rig rundown notes Mansoor personally swaps to Bare Knuckles on his own guitars.
Source: Jackson: Pro Plus Juggernaut HT6.
Earlier signature · passive
Bare Knuckle Juggernaut
His first Bare Knuckle signature set, voiced for focused bass, defined mids, and an articulate top. It is the pickup the guitar line is named after. The Ragnarok later joined it as the hotter, more aggressive option.
Amps and effects
Periphery runs Mansoor's signature Peavey amp into a Fractal modeler, with his own pedal in front. Sourced from the 2023 Premier Guitar rig rundown and Horizon Devices.
Signature amp · 120W · live rig
Peavey Invective + Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+
The Peavey Invective is Mansoor's signature 120-watt head, a high-gain design built with Peavey. On the 2023 tour each guitarist ran a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL+ through a Peavey Invective 4x12 and out to front of house, blending the real head with modeled routing.
His own pedal · rhythm tightener
Horizon Devices Precision Drive
An overdrive with a built-in noise gate that Mansoor designed to tighten high-gain rhythm tone. It sits in front of the amp to clamp down low-end flub on fast palm-muted riffs, and it has spread well beyond Periphery into other djent rigs.
Source: Horizon Devices.
Strings
This is the reason Mansoor lives on Change Your Strings. He did not just endorse a string, he built one. Horizon Devices Progressive Tension uses a calculated gauge curve so every string in the set feels even, which matters most when you tune low. The strings are manufactured by Dunlop.
6-string · his own brand · .010–.058
Horizon Devices Progressive Tension Heavy 6
Gauges .010 .014 .019 .030 .042 .058. Horizon Devices states the set was designed by Mansoor for his own studio and live use, and positions it for Drop C on a 25.5-inch scale or Drop B for a looser feel. It is the factory string on his Pro Juggernaut HT6.
Source: Horizon Devices: Progressive Tension Heavy 6; Jackson: Pro Juggernaut HT6.
7-string · factory set · about .010–.065
Horizon Devices Progressive Tension Heavy 7
The set Jackson factory-strings on the USA HT7, for Periphery's low 7-string Drop tunings. It extends the Heavy 6 curve to a heavy low string near .065. Treat the exact low gauge as approximate; the published 7-string range is about .010–.065.
Source: Jackson: USA Juggernaut HT7 (factory-string spec).
If you want a heavy 7-string set you can buy on Amazon today, the closest off-the-shelf reference is Ernie Ball's 7-string Cobalt, in the same heavy-bottom gauge range:
Comparable · widely available · .010–.062
Ernie Ball 7-String Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky Cobalt
The widely available heavy-bottom 7-string Cobalt, in the same low-tuning gauge range as Mansoor's Horizon Devices Heavy 7. Not Mansoor's brand, but the easiest 7-string Cobalt to find at a normal price.
Why low Drop tunings at 26.5-inch scale
Periphery's current material lives in low 7-string Drop tunings, around Drop A and Drop G#. Two design choices keep that tight. First, the 7-string Juggernaut runs a 26.5-inch scale rather than a standard 25.5, which adds tension to the low string so it does not turn to mush when you drop it. Second, the Horizon Devices Progressive Tension curve was built so the low strings do not feel slack relative to the high strings.
That is the same engineering problem his bandmate Mark Holcomb solves, and the same one any 7-string player runs into the first time they tune past Drop B. If you are setting up a 7-string for this register, start with the 7-string gauge guide.
Related
- Periphery's other guitarist: Mark Holcomb, who runs a parallel Drop-tuned 7-string rig.
- Album deep dive: Periphery III: Select Difficulty, the record where this rig comes together.
- Another prog-metal benchmark: John Petrucci (Dream Theater).
- Extended-range neighbor: Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders).
- 7-string lane: the 7-string gauge guide and our top 7-string players.
- Tuning guide: Drop A.
- Production context: Adam "Nolly" Getgood, former Periphery bassist and Mansoor's GetGood Drums co-founder.